If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Re: Apostrophe S & "of"

The genitive with of is usually used with inanimate nouns:the leg of the table.

The of construction can be found with animate nouns if there's a phrase or a relative clause following: What is the name of the guest {in the long white dress} {who came first}

The -s genitive occurs with animate nouns: the family's money, the cat's food

However, there are some cases when inanimate nouns are used with it: the country's beauty (country is personified here)a month's time (month denotes the length or duration)a park's area, five yards' length (measurement)fifty dollars' worth of flowers (value)the brain's power, the science's development (special interest to human activity)to be at death's door (idiomatic expression)the nation's problems, the club's terrains (optionally, when inanimate nouns refer to a group of people, to places where people live or human institutions)

That' a very black-and-white explanation, I bet the usage of the genitive's not so clear-cut and also changing but it's a start.